Hurco to Showcase 5-Axis Productivity at PRI Show

Published: 11/4/2013

INDIANAPOLIS—Hurco
will illustrate the multiple benefits of its 5-axis technology to efficiently produc​e
quality parts for the performance racing industry at the PRI show in Indianapolis December 12-14. Hurco
machine tools on display at Booth 5463 will include the 5-axis VMX30UI vertical machining center (VMC), the
5-axis VMX42SRTi, the VM10i 3-axis VMC, and the TMM8i mill turn lathe.

From engine heads to intake manifolds
and engine blocks, all of the Hurco 5-axis CNC machining centers increase
efficiency. Across the country, shops of all sizes are realizing greater profit
margins on existing parts by converting to a 5-sided machining process instead
of using a conventional 3-axis VMC. In fact, the majority of 5-axis machines
are used for 5-sided machining to reduce setup time and eliminate the typical
flipping of parts that is required on 3-axis machining centers. Not only do shops
increase the profit margin per part, they increase accuracy when they switch
from 3-axis to 5-sided machining.

Hurco will demonstrate two
styles of 5-axis machining centers at the PRI show—the VMX42SRTi, a swivel head
5-axis machine with a flush rotary table, and the VMX30Ui, a trunnion style
machine where the trunnion moves the part to achieve the additional axes. As
with all Hurco machine tools, the true advantage lies within the control technology, which supports both ISO/EIA NC and Hurco
conversational programming. However, the control’s intuitive conversational
programming is the key to efficient changeover and fast programming because the
majority of parts can be programmed on the shop floor (no CAM system needed).
Software features like Transform Plane, Universal Rotary, and Tool Center Point
Management take the confusion out of programming 5-sided parts on a Hurco 5-axis
machining center.

The VMX42SRTi
has X/Y/Z travels of 42/24/24 inches, a 12K motorized integral spindle,
a 40-station swing-arm automatic tool changer (ATC), and X/Y/Z rapids of
1,378/1,378/1,181 inches per minute. The VMX30Ui 5-axis machining center has X/Y/Z
travels of 30/20/20.5 inches, a 12K spindle, X/Y/Z rapids of 1,378/1,378/1,181
inches per minute, and a 40-stationswing-arm ATC.

All of the Hurco machining centers at
the show will be equipped with UltiMotion®, Hurco’s patented motion control
system that reduces cycle time up to 35% and significantly improves surface
finish quality at the same time. UltiMotion® uses software to
control the motion system instead of hardware, which means there is less
chatter, less vibration, and less machine jerk. The efficiency of the software
also provides rapid cornering capabilities and optimized look-ahead, where the
software evaluates each section of the motion profile and shifts the look-ahead
to the maximum number of blocks (up to 10,000).

TMM8i Mill Turn Lathe

The TMM8i
is a true slant-bed lathe equipped with live tooling. For parts that require
turning and secondary milling/drilling operations, the TMM8i is the perfect
machine to make small to medium lot sizes of such parts profitable. Save time
with one setup and no loss of accuracy due to re-fixturing.

The TMM8i
has features that simplify 3-axis turning. For example, when programming holes
on the face of a part, you can choose to program in polar or rectangular
coordinates.
Additionally, the threading cycle performs multi-pass threading for outside
diameter (OD) and inside diameter (ID) threads. The Hurco integrated controlsimplifies threading—from just one
screen, you can easily set spring passes, decreasing depths, and multiple
starts found in complex threads. The TMM8i has X/Z travels of 7.8 x 20 inches, a maximum turning diameter of 10.1
inches, a maximum turning length of 17.9 inches, and a maximum bar capacity of
2 inches.​​